The Ultimate Top 5 DIY Home Repairs Quiz

Some home repairs can be expensive if you depend on a professional to perform them, but there are five basic home repairs that you can do yourself. Even a novice can perform these simple but frequent repair jobs and save money. Take this quiz to learn the ins and outs of basic home repair.

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Question 1 of 20

What can you do with leftover paint that you do not need?

Run water as you dispose of it down the drain.

Dispose of the paint in your normal trash or in the metal recycling bin.

You should never dispose of old paint in the garbage, through normal metal recycling or by spilling it down a drain. Many hardware stores and municipalities have paint recycling programs or you can check earth911.com for ideas to recycle your old paint.

Question 2 of 20

What is a good idea after you finish painting?

Save a few ounces of the paint in a clean jar for later touch ups.

You can clean out an old food jar and store a little of the leftover paint in it for touchups such as scratches, nail holes and scuffs. Put some plastic wrap over the top before screwing on the cap tightly, mark the color and room in marker and store the jar upside down to avoid the top skimming over.

Never store unused paint, as it is better to recycle it immediately.

Put the name of the room you used the paint in and its color on the can before you store it.

Question 3 of 20

What is the best way to bring a room to life and add value to your home?

You can create a vignette in a room to add focus and interest.

There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to brighten the appearance of any room.

A vignette is a nice touch and wallpaper can be an expensive option however, paint is the most popular and inexpensive way to improve the appearance of any room.

The best investment for sprucing up a room is with quality wallpaper.

Question 4 of 20

What is one important fact to remember when you are painting anything including a room?

There are numerous types of paint on the market so get advice for the best paint choice.

Attend a painting seminar to insure you know what you are doing or hire a professional.

A bad paint job is worse than no paint job at all.

When a paint job is not done well it can look worse than the original paint did before you started. If you have never painted a room before, you may want to watch an instructional painting video online or from your local library first.

Question 5 of 20

Once you arrive home with your paint, what should you do before you actually start to apply any paint?

Mix your paint well with a stir stick before you start painting.

Cover the floor with a drop sheet before you start painting.

Prepare the area that you are going to paint before you do anything else.

Mixing paint, covering floors and furniture are important but the first thing you need to do is prepare the walls. Preparing walls involves removing rods, electrical plates, nails and picture hooks, as well as sanding rough spots and filling holes.

Question 6 of 20

What should you do with nail holes and spots that you repaired or sanded?

Apply primer to the repaired spots and let the primer dry.

It is important to apply a primer over repair spots and any area that you sanded being sure to let it dry before painting. When sanding spots be careful not to over-sand as very smooth areas on your wall may stand out after painting especially in strong light.

Paint the spots with a brush first before applying paint with a roller.

Go ahead and roll on the paint being sure to make extra passes over any repaired areas.

Question 7 of 20

How should you paint around moldings, doorframes and ceiling corners?

Novice painters should apply painter's tape to these areas first.

Novice painters are best advised to tape all trim and along the ceiling wall joint with painter's tape (masking tape) first. You can still use available special pads and trim brushes to achieve a professional touch and to hone your skills for later jobs.

Novice painters should use the special trim pads available for this job.

Novice painters are best advised to use a special trim brush to outline these areas first.

Question 8 of 20

What are five basic home repair jobs that even a novice should be able to master?

Five basic home repairs that require only basic tools to complete are: painting, door problems, repairs to leaky faucets, caulking and unclogging a toilet. According to experts, most people should be able to master these basic home maintenance jobs.

Question 9 of 20

What is a most common interior door problem?

a knob falling off

sticking or jamming

The most common problem encountered with wooden interior doors is sticking or jamming caused by swelling during humid weather or in older homes by settling. Squeaking hinges come a close second to sticking or jamming.

squeaking hinges

Question 10 of 20

What should you do first if you have a door that is sticking or jamming?

Remove the door and sand any obvious rough spots.

Move the door back and forth, so you can mark the problem spots.

Inspect the hinges first for any loose screws or badly worn hinges.

Always start with the hinges by checking for excessive wear or loose screws that simply need to be tightened. If you need to tighten screws, wedge the latch end of the door first to balance out the weight.

Question 11 of 20

What will need to be done if the door sticking because it is scraping the frame or lintel?

Mark the problem spots so you can plane a bit off the door in those areas.

Gently close the door and mark the problem spots lightly with a pencil. You can plane a bit off the door in those areas without removing it if the problem is on the top or the latch end of the door.

Mark the problem spots, remove the door and chisel the bad spots off the door.

Mark the problem spots on the doorframe and sand the frame in those areas with coarse sandpaper.

Question 12 of 20

What is the best way to fix most squeaky or noisy hinges?

It is best to remove hinge pins one at a time and coat them with graphite grease.

Always try to lubricate hinges first with a few drops of penetrating oil on the pins.

You should always try to lubricate hinges first with a few drops of penetrating oil applied to the top of the pins. Gently move the door back and forth a few times and if the squeak does not disappear, repeat the process.

How much should homeowners set aside in a fund to cover the cost of annual maintenance and repairs?

5 percent of a home's value

3 percent of a home's value

1 percent of a home's value

According to financial expert Eric Tyson, homeowners would be wise to set aside 1 percent of their home's value to cover maintenance and repairs. Necessary maintenance includes such things as HVAC annual tune-ups, weather damage, replacing worn out items and painting.

Question 14 of 20

What is caulking?

Caulking is a rubbery material used to seal cracks around tubs, toilets and exterior frames.

Caulking is a rubbery material used to seal cracks around tubs, toilets and exterior frames such as windows and doors. There are several different types of caulking specially designed for various sealing purposes and some are not paintable.

Caulking is a material that is used to fill cracks between sheets of drywall before painting.

Caulking is the white chalky material that accumulates inside steam irons and kettles.

Question 15 of 20

A usual caulking job for any homeowner is fixing old or worn out caulking, how do you accomplish that task?

Clean and lightly sand old caulking before applying a fresh layer.

Simply apply caulking as it is designed to be applied directly over old caulking.

Remove all old caulking before applying new caulking.

You will need to remove all of the old caulking before you apply any new caulking material. It is easier to remove old caulking if you use a caulking softener following the manufacturer's instructions.

Question 16 of 20

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, how much water is wasted each year in an average American home by leaks and drips?

about 11,000 gallons (41,600 liters)

EPA statistics indicate that an average American home sends about 11,000 gallons of unused water down the drain due to leaks and drips. That is equivalent to the amount of water required to fill a large swimming pool and a significant amount of wasted cash out of your pocket.

about 6,000 gallons (22,700 liters)

about 4,000 gallons (15,140 liters)

Question 17 of 20

What is a first step to repairing a faucet?

Your first step is to remove the hot or cold handle from the leaky faucet.

Your first step is to hire a competent plumber.

Your first step is to turn off the water supply to the faucet.

You will need to shut off the water to the faucet by closing a valve under the sink or the main water valve to your home. Remember also to open the faucet to drain off pressure before you unscrew the faucet.

Question 18 of 20

What is the most common cause of a leaky faucet?

deteriorating valve packing

corrosion of the valve seat

a deteriorated rubber washer

The most common faucet valve is a compression-type that relies on a rubber washer to seal water flow. These washers deteriorate due to repeated compressions when the water is turned off, which eventually results in a poor seal.

Question 19 of 20

What is the easiest way to ensure that you are ready for common faucet repairs?

List all your faucet types and purchase a repair kit to have on hand for each when required.

You can purchase a universal faucet repair kit at your hardware or plumbing supply store. These inexpensive kits contain a broad selection of washers, screws and parts common to most faucets.

Purchase a plumber’s toolkit that contains washers, screws, Teflon tape, other supplies and a selection of tools.

Question 20 of 20

What is required in order to resolve most clogged toilet problems?

a good plunger

Most clogged toilet problems can be resolved with a little patience and a good plunger. If a plunger does not work, some toiled clogs are due to a child flushing a toy or other object that can be retrieved while wearing a good pair of rubber gloves.